by Carla Beard
If you're just setting up your Moodle, you may be wondering about how to arrange it the way you want it. In the Administration box to the left, find the link for "Settings." These options allow you to organize your Moodle's appearance.
The "Format" setting refers to how your Moodle will be organized. When I was beginning with Moodle, I used the "weekly" format, because that's how I did my lesson plans. As I have used it more, though, I have moved to the "topics" format, so I can organize the Moodle by units. The "weekly" format includes a date, and if a unit lasts longer than one week, the incorrect date became confusing. Other formats are also available, but those two are probably the most common ones for U.S. schools.
Another setting to check is "Force Theme." This controls the color scheme and font for your Moodle. A few IT people do not make this theme available to their teachers. One told me she thought teachers would produce really ugly Moodles if this option were available to them, so she gave them only one choice. This was an unfortunate call on her part. If we want teachers to integrate technology, we must respect the importance of letting teachers personalize their space. Personalizing is taking ownership, and that sense of ownership is essential. Teachers should have access to themes.
If you have more than one section of the same class, you don't need to create separate Moodles for each one. Instead of "English 9, period 2" and "English 9, period 5," just create one Moodle for English 9. After students have enrolled (your IT person will tell you how to do it at your school), scroll down to "Groups" in settings. Create 2 groups and sort students manually into the correct one. This will simplify other activities later, such as keeping track of test scores or forum posts.
These settings will help your Moodle work the way you want. Don't be afraid to experiment with them. You can always change them back -- just remember to click "Save" at the bottom!
See also Teaching with Moodle
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